WATCH: How police swooped on 'crazed' knifeman

by jgould

Joel Gould
Journalist
Joel is a journalist with 20 years of experience and since February, 2011 he has been the late reporter at The Queensland Times. Joel specialises in longer features and as the late reporter he chases all the breaking stories that unfold in the evenings. A die hard rugby league fan, Joel has been pushing hard for the Western Corridor bid to be admitted into the NRL.

A COMBINATION of precision policing and the all-seeing eye of Safe City cameras located and led to the arrest of a crazed knife wielding man who ran amok in Ipswich yesterday morning.

Throw in the response of proactive residents who called police with prompt and accurate information about the man's whereabouts as he wreaked havoc and you have the perfect operation.

A 30 year-old Ipswich man went on a mad rampage with a knife yesterday morning through the Ipswich Hospital and the streets of the city before being arrested by police.

He was in police custody last night and will appear in Ipswich Magistrates Court this morning.

The QT understands he will face five charges, two of serious assault and three weapons related offences.

The man spent most of yesterday in Ipswich hospital where he was being medically assessed before being released into police custody.

A 30-year-old Ipswich man is detained by police after creating mayhem in the CBD.

Inspector Keith McDonald told the QT yesterday the apprehension of the man "clearly highlights the close relationship between Ipswich City Council's Safe City and the Queensland Police Service and how integral that is to maintaining the safety of the community of Ipswich".

"The response of police was outstanding in dealing with a gentleman who behaving irrationally and erratically," he said.

Ipswich police were still last night putting together the sequence of events that unfolded from 6.30am yesterday but the bizarre behaviour of the man goes something like this:

A woman at the hospital rang police yesterday morning and said a male was running through the emergency department and resuscitation rooms armed with a knife.

The informant said he was agitated and aggressive and had pulled the knife and threatened a nurse before being seen leaving.

Police sent multiple crews to the hospital.

The man, and a woman he was with and who was with him when he was arrested, rang Triple 0 several times saying he was going to get his car and drive it through the mall, police said.

The police also got a call from a lady at the intersection of Limestone St and Ellenborough St saying that she had to swerve to miss the vehicle the man was driving and that he was doing U-turns and going through red lights.

The Queensland Ambulance Service rang police saying the man was seen in a vehicle near the old police station in East St and was seen leaving for West Ipswich.

The man was picked up on Safe City cameras on Thorn St.

ALL OVER: Police arrest the man who ran amok at Ipswich Hospital and in the CBD with a knife.Contributed

Police said the man parked the car in the CBD and got out waving the knife and trying to stop cars as they came down Thorn St and Limestone St.

Police arrived on the scene, arrested the man and the Queensland Ambulance Service turned up and sedated him before he was taken to Ipswich Hospital.

Police said the man was incoherent when arrested.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale said Safe City came to the fore and prevented what could have been a deadly result if the man had not been apprehended promptly.

"My intentions with Safe City from day one was to protect the city and its citizens," he said.

"I always said that 'the degree of me watching you is directly proportional to your stupidity. If you act stupid we will be there and we will stop you'.

"What happened here was a very dangerous situation. If the cameras weren't there following this character we would not have been the police's eyes and it could have turned into a disaster.

"We are the eyes of the police. We turn on one camera, then another and we follow the culprits.

"We are protecting the police and the community. The police did an amazing job here, a brilliant job.

"Our cameras are not the police force. But we are watching their back. If we aren't, no-one is."

Insp McDonald praised the community response while stating it was clearly "traumatic for them".

"If any of them have any issues they can contact police, but hopefully if they are facing issues they seek out some help," he said.

"The community did the right thing by not approaching this person and not trying to deal with the matter themselves."